7 ?* l8 e: \7 f高春霞的父亲高学新说，警察抓住他女儿时，她并没有在聚会，而只是在和从平顶山来的传道人谈话。高学新说，警方两天之后才给他们拘留证，罪名是非法传道。他说：“我们去要人，他们说：‘甭要了，我们还没调查清楚呢。’我们家属说：‘我们是信神的，你们早就调查过了。他们把家中的电子琴、电脑和圣经全部收走。我们信神根本不犯法啊！’” 3 N: E2 C1 X& N H& @6 ^( A( L" Q6 t! t" z据未经证实的数据统计，中国天主教和基督教新教信徒加起来估计已超过1亿，而且这个数字仍在不断增长。但是，家庭教会成员的宗教信仰受到各种限制，被当局恐吓、骚扰和拘留的情况时有发生，特别是天主教徒持续受到要他们效忠官方天主教爱国会的压力。 7 Y/ z/ a" \% H1 H/ z; C H a+ e3 S5 R- p8 V: E
中国和梵蒂冈在主教任命等问题上存在分歧，双方至今未建立外交关系。 2 }) y' s$ W A% Z9 F0 {$ c% a2 C& I' Q, b+ I1 A) F/ z
China detains three underground priests, group says ! {8 [1 D9 M. f: |( P, ySun Jul 29, 2007 8 |+ k. w" C% l6 ]. U- @8 u3 w! g6 E
BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls. 8 ^4 d# C. P7 t" C, V7 }) G" [/ F5 u6 i) K" E1 d
The three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday.1 x0 R% F4 }; ]( L0 L
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The detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict.4 z2 D" x" p* Y0 S H' E
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China's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties.7 M0 {* w5 n4 [# I: G
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On June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation. 6 m) ~, Z8 @' a6 Q% f # j% J+ p+ A+ t$ h. d: P: V) mThe Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter. " C: S# S( y& P M! q2 Z6 O 9 Z) H( R! k& m0 uParts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches." z6 ?) W" G1 Y/ t8 c% r/ S" f5 J
! Y7 R# A/ X1 r. _; AThe Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. $ @5 A/ D# V+ F- |+ J1 }4 _) J' J4 N- i$ k" S
Plain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said. 9 {( }8 w! B& G# K, @( Q$ c' G* v- g8 U! h5 O5 ^
"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone. z8 B* w9 t* h3 I$ ?3 F; @8 p
( C4 g. l" s7 W+ y% e' H9 s [$ ZKung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said.% O( V9 u6 o/ X8 a/ K: m) i
+ K3 \2 c+ ^; H; a5 }# D" BSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer.% k' A' ]# u' r
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The Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese. 9 x5 b# Y' E2 |2 k2 ~ , h7 U2 Q4 g7 nRome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval. 9 T5 \! I' R6 ^+ e4 Y2 o% U 0 F& l0 K& X1 tBut an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. " {; ~" K1 |6 J( G* X* g: Y: ?1 Y! M! {7 e0 `' Q5 y4 G5 R
These days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
